Without and With it

Days passed as Temorsth listened to his father's words, he was training every day without a day of rest.

In his free time he continued to learn The Common, and Elven scripts and eventually began to learn his father's language Deep Speech, or in other words the language of the dead.

A few more days went by and the first week passed, it wasn't strange for him, it happened many times before, but even then at least they came to see him for a short time.

As more and more days passed weeks went by and the first month came, it was around this time that he started to miss his parents at first it was still acceptable but as time went by he became lonelier than ever before.

"Aidana..."

[Yes?]

"..."

He was using Aidana to ease his mind, but with time he learned that there were even limits to how much Aidana could interact with him.

'His mind... it's fragile...' Looking a the child swinging his wooden sword the thoughts of a great being were of him.

'His reason is swaying and swinging...'

'Such a pity... to break such a strong soul and will...'

...

"Young master, I don't understand." The golems his mother created could talk but they weren't alive, they weren't like real living things.

"Nothing..." Talking to them felt like talking to robots, beings only controlled by orders, but in truth, Temorsth and these golems were frighteningly alike, he too was only following words he was told all his life even in this one.

As time went on, it became more and more difficult for him, Temorsth's mind was affected by the similarity of the situation to one he wanted to forget, and this caused him to miss his parents so much that his defense against the voices weakened.

'They left us... they left us alone... just like mom did...'*sob*sob* The first to appear was the sad and weak voice.

'Shut up Phobia...' Now he just wished they would come home soon but... they didn't.

Days turned into weeks and weeks slowly turned into months, every day was like hell to him, since he didn't want to lose his family again.

"Empty..." Looking at the large 'empty' house he felt powerless.

He walked to the door and left the house, staring at the barrier while standing before the trunk of the large tree his words were heard.

"They will..." *agh* Every time he thought of his parents his head hurt from the voices...

'They died anyway! We should just go out!'

'I will never break the rules...'

'Let's make this world drown in blood!' While he heard the violent words of the domineering one, horrifying images of the battlefield outside of the barrier appeared in his mind.

Fearing the unknown he thought of the worst outcome, he tried to get through the barrier but was stopped by the guarding golems.

"Can't you let me out?" He knew that the outside world shown by the barrier was not the real world.

"We can not do so, the Master and Mistress ordered..." But there was nothing he could do, and this continued to eat away at his sanity.

As the months went by, his mind had already collapsed from the constant 'switching' and he only knew when to eat and when to train from the golem's reminder.

"The forest of stone... the past..." As his mind was in a place known as the past he couldn't lift his head, his face was full of gloom as he spent his days following the thing he was told to do again.

After more than a year has passed.

On a rather dark day, when clouds blocked the sun from the sky, a child swung his wooden sword with his head towards the ground, his mood and face constantly swinging with his feelings, from sadness to anger.

'They left us... we did something wrong... it's our fault...' *sob*sob*

'Hey! You sicken me! Shut the hell up Phobia!' As he swung his sword forward with anger in himself, he lost his balance and fell forward.

'Hphm, weakling!' His hands moved and it stopped his body from falling on its face.

'Stand the fuck up or let me go OUT!' He was on all fours looking at the ground, hearing a voice call out to him he turned his head.

"Young Master, it's time to eat." He looked up and saw the main golem, the only one distinguishable from the other three by the different cloth.

He stood up and began to walk towards the house, as he reached the door he looked back to see the undisturbed barrier a little farther away, he turned back and started taking heavy steps into the house...

"Son..." He didn't turn around even though he heard it, he took another step into the house but with it, he started to shake yet he still didn't turn around, he had looked back too many times to see no one.

He couldn't believe it, he was afraid to look back, afraid that if he turned they wouldn't be there, his face broke out in tears and his eyes turned red as he heard another voice.

"I... we're sorry..." He heard the crack in Elah's voice as he took another step.

'It's not us...' Hering the voice with a calm tone he hurriedly turned around, already crying loudly, his face was a whole mass as he ran towards his parents, they ran towards him while they were experiencing waves of emotions, feeling happiness and regret at the same time the mother and father clutched their son into their embrace.

"Never..." The flowing tears drowned his voice... "Never... leave me... again...!" Hearing their son's desperate cry, their hearts were torn to pieces. They hugged him tighter, showing him that they wouldn't let him go.

"We will never..." It was a reunion of a family who hadn't seen each other in more than a year.

As Temorsth let out his emotions, he was crying so hard he felt dizzy, he felt his mother and father's strong arms around him, feeling they wouldn't let him go until the world ceased to exist, he knew that they would never leave him.

Time passed while they were in each other's arms, and after some time Temorsth gradually stopped crying.

"I...I have something to tell." Hearing their son, they looked at each other.

"We have something to say too."

...

Not long after the family was reunited, they were already in the house. Temorsth sat in a leather armchair across him at the other side of a small wooden table his parents sat side by side on a leather sofa.

It was a strange sight to witness, a child who looked around seven but was only five and a father and mother sitting uncomfortably.

Xalier and Elah looked very ragged, clothes torn, scratched, and with cuts everywhere, they didn't look hurt but they weren't as clean as before going away.

Temorsth face turned back to 'norma' his displayed face changed fast but his parents didn't notice it they themself were in their own world with different thoughts.

Temorsth looked at his parents and tried to find the words for what he wanted to say. He looked like a child trying to confess to his parents after doing something wrong, and strangely enough, he really was, but the room felt too heavy for a simple confession.

His parents didn't say anything, no, instead they didn't want to speak, they looked restless and worried. Xalier didn't show much emotion from his dead-looking wine-red eyes, but you could tell he wasn't comfortable sitting there, with it he was the first to break the silence.

"Ahm...We brought you a gift." He took out a glass bottle from his space ring, the flask looked rather ornate, golden in color with a ruby cap on top, and the thing stored inside looked something like clear spring water with a light blue color.

"This... thank you, Dad, Mom..." He leaned forward and took the bottle in his hand, with it the system prompted.

[Notice: The host obtained a flask of water from Leacastle Mountain!] He looked at the flask from different angles before he brought forth its status window.

[Name: Waters of Singularity

Rank: Immortal Emperor

Rarity: Legendary

Category: Consumable

Description: It is a flask of water from the Lake of Singularity, the lake is located on Leacastle Mountain. According to legend, if one drinks it he will experience a wave of time passing through infinite space. It is a legendary consumable desired by all even gods aren't an exception.

It will strengthen one's mind, soul, and body.]

'Leacastle Mountain?' Hearing his thoughts, Aidana answered.

[Mount Leacastle is the highest peak in the Shadowy Highlands.]

[The Shadowy Highlands is a mythical place in the world of Ananterra, it has already claimed more than a thousand demigod lives!]

[There is a Myth that an Immortal Emperor protects the place, but many still go there every year to look for treasures and or for strong foes.]

"Uh..." Hearing all this in a short time, he needed time to process it, and after thinking about it for a few seconds, his face turned to an angry one.

'They didn't tell me where they went even after entering.' He was angry and sad now, at that time he was overwhelmed with emotions, so he did not ask but now...

'Did they go to a treasure hunt...?' Thinking that he finally found out where they went, anger rose, his parents saw this but didn't say anything, they just sat there, rather they looked relieved from something.

Temorsth was looking down as he squeezed the flask, as it was too sturdy it didn't even crack, but at that moment he heard a voice.

[Host....] It was just one word, but she sounded so disappointed, that Temorsth's anger disappeared and a small confusion appeared.

"Huh?" He looked up to see the relieved expressions on his parents' faces, they tried not to show but he knew them too well, they were his parents after all.

'Did they...' He wasn't as smart as a genius, but he wasn't stupid either.

"Uh, son...?" His parents become agitated again after seeing him calm down too quickly, thinking that he had figured something out.

"Did...Mom and Dad... know?" They were confused for a moment so Xalier asked.

"What... what, my son?"

"Did you two know I'm dying?" Then came the realization from both of them.

"Son, how did you...? Its…" Seeing their shocked faces, Temorsth understood.